They Create Worlds copertina

They Create Worlds

They Create Worlds

Di: Alex Smith and Jeffrey Daum
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The games we love reveal something true about who we are, and about the world that made them. They Create Worlds is a podcast about the people, technology, and forces that built the video game industry.

Through video game history, the show looks at how culture, business, and technology shaped what we play, tracing the choices and circumstances that led to the games so many people around the world enjoy.

Each episode digs into where games came from, who made them, and why they were made the way they were. Business decisions, technological shifts, and creative choices all shaped what ended up on screen, and the show covers all of it together, not just one piece in isolation.

Hosted by Alex Smith and Jeffrey Daum, They Create Worlds grew out of long conversations about the strange corners of the industry and the patterns that only show up when you look across companies, platforms, and decades. That conversational feel remains, built on careful research, clear structure and editing that makes even the deepest topics easy to listen to.

History turns out to be less settled than it looks. New documents surface, memories conflict, and the clean stories about why things happened the way they did rarely survive contact with the evidence. The show digs into all of that, following the creative and business forces that pushed and pulled on each other, and uncovering the human stories that lie beneath the games so many people around the world enjoy.

New episodes are released twice a month.

Copyright 2015-2026 . All rights reserved.
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  • Knights of the Old Republic
    Aug 15 2026
    TCW Podcast Episode 264 - Knights of the Old Republic Knights of the Old Republic did not simply bring Star Wars to the role-playing game format. It was BioWare’s effort to build a cinematic RPG in a part of the galaxy far enough from the films to tell a new story, while drawing on decades of Expanded Universe worldbuilding, tabletop systems, and the storytelling model popularized by Timothy Zahn’s Thrawn trilogy. This episode examines how BioWare combined a fully voiced cast, real-time-with-pause combat built on the Star Wars d20 system, cinematic presentation, and a story structured around one of gaming’s most famous twists to create a major hit. We then follow the business decision that sent the sequel to Obsidian Entertainment on an aggressive schedule, exploring how The Sith Lords developed its darker ideas about the Force, choice, and predestination, why its unfinished release became central to its legacy, and how the series’ path toward a third game came to an end. TCW 108 - Adventuring With LucasArts Part 1: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/episodes/TCW108-adventuring-with-lucasarts-part-1 TCW 109 - Adventuring With LucasArts Part 2: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/episodes/TCW109-adventuring-with-lucasarts-part-2 TCW 204 - Exploring The Mass Effect: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/episodes/TCW204-exploring-the-mass-effect TCW 205 - Shepherd's Mass Effect 2 & 3: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/episodes/TCW205-shepherds-mass-effect-2-and-3 TCW 233 - Baldur's Gate: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/episodes/TCW233-baldurs-gate The Ewok Adventure - Cavern of Courage (Trailer): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2OaBk89KyU Why the Thrawn Trilogy is Great!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haBxgD3vJ4c West End Games - Star Wars: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Snh9D_hUp30 West End Games Guide: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNGGAdVHJcE Celebrating 20 Years of Star Wars: KOTOR With the Iconic RPG's Canadian Creators: https://mobilesyrup.com/2023/07/13/star-wars-knights-of-the-old-republic-20th-anniversary-canadian-developers-interview/ Dark Horse Tales of the Jedi: https://archive.org/details/star-wars-tales-of-the-jedi-collection_20211001_1515/Tales%20of%20the%20Jedi%20%231/ KOTOR 1 - Revelation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xc6eDFobJXg Neverwinter Nights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeO6SuOtjUQ The Basics of Cinematography: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rAe8RuICYM Film Making Basics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFwMRVwrKcA The 180 Rule Explained: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcCbPZUimbc The Secrets to Writing Compelling Plot Twists: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHbOVOZWhZM HK-47 (KOTOR 1): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vg1gTas7OAA HK-47 (KOTOR 2): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CqpGfWrmc4 The Littlest Hobo (S1 E10): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blDP8AtvyaI KOTOR TV Commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7Z2wqSasxU KOTOR Xbox Intro Gameplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6F3gGiTfgzU KOTOR 2 - Star Wars Criticism Done Well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIkD35vHZG8 KOTOR 2 Theory Might Blow Your Mind: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyEOa1jHaAs WTF Were Kreia's Goals During KOTOR 2?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHUhHDEX0J4 KOTOR 2 Intro Gamplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRY_k5NoS8Y New episodes are on the 1st and 15th of every month! TCW Email: feedback@theycreateworlds.com BlueSky: @theycreateworlds.bsky.social Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theycreateworlds Alex's Video Game History Blog: http://videogamehistorian.wordpress.com Alex's book: http://bit.ly/TCWBOOK1 Intro Music: Josh Woodward - Airplane Mode - Music - "Airplane Mode" by Josh Woodward. Free download: http://joshwoodward.com/song/AirplaneMode Outro Music: RoleMusic - Bacterial Love: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Rolemusic/Pop_Singles_Compilation_2014/01_rolemusic_-_bacterial_love Copyright: Attribution: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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    1 ora e 27 min
  • Howell Ivy
    Aug 1 2026
    TCW Podcast Episode 263 - Howell Ivy Howell Ivy had a knack for taking familiar arcade ideas and pushing them somewhere new. He discovered video games through Computer Space while serving in the Air Force, and in his off time he built a ball-and-paddle game that led to a position at Ramtek. Clean Sweep gave the ball-and-paddle format a new twist and helped inspire Atari's Breakout. Ramtek Baseball pushed that idea further with stronger sound, presentation, and a CRT modified so it could sit perpendicular to the Earth's magnetic field and still work. At Exidy, Ivy kept pressing for what was next. He bought a 6502 processor with his own money to prove that the company needed to move toward microprocessors. That thinking showed up in Car Polo, a soccer game with cars, and later in Circus, which became the biggest hit of his career. Vertigo pushed even further with motion controls and vector displays, but it was too complex to manufacture in that form and was retooled into Top Gunner instead. SEGA was looking to expand into the US arcade space, and Exidy was in financial trouble, so the companies moved toward an acquisition. Howell Ivy and Gene Lipkin went to Japan to negotiate the acquisition, but the deal fell apart. Ivy suspected Lipkin had made a separate deal with SEGA when he became president of SEGA Enterprises USA. When Lipkin left SEGA, the company turned to Ivy because of the work Exidy had already done with them, and he joined as VP of Manufacturing in 1986. Ivy helped SEGA contract out manufacturing to US companies, pushed Japanese designers toward polygonal graphics, consulted on Daytona USA, and negotiated the partnership with GE Aerospace. Ivy later became president of SEGA Enterprises USA before retiring from SEGA in 2004 after Sammy acquired SEGA. In retirement, he volunteered at a school engineering program that helped students send projects to the International Space Station. TCW 051 - Sons of Pong: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/episodes/TCW051-sons-of-pong TCW 201 - Advanced Balls and Paddles Part 1: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/episodes/TCW201-advanced-balls-and-paddles-part-1 TCW 202 - Advanced Balls and Paddles Part 2: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/episodes/TCW202-advanced-balls-and-paddles-part-2 TCW 232 - All The Other Home Pongs: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/episodes/TCW232-all-the-other-home-pongs Clean Sweep (Ramtek): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0OTBI9Zagw TCW 211 - Ramtek: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/episodes/TCW211-ramtek Ramtak Baseball: https://youtu.be/vZKhpCPc34U?t=83 TCW 212 - The Exidy of the 70's: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/episodes/TCW212-the-exidy-of-the-70s TCW 213 - The Exidy of the 80's and 90's: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/episodes/TCW213-the-exidy-of-the-80s-and-90s Destruction Derby: www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRYduNYRmPY Death Race: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmQ_hj21K5k Car Polo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6-xHhi2-nI Circus: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFm3b7e2tV8 The Exidy Sorcerer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iMcOY1pH1Y Crossbow: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vxd_6vYJWtU TCW 075 - Gunning for Light: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/episodes/TCW075-gunning-for-light TCW 028 - Picking up the Pieces: The US Arcade Industry After the Crash: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/episodes/TCW028-picking-up-the-pieces-the-us-arcade-industry-after-the-crash Top Gunner: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MXYF260JdE Daytona USA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAcMqFTkAs8 New episodes are on the 1st and 15th of every month! TCW Email: feedback@theycreateworlds.com BlueSky: @theycreateworlds.bsky.social Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theycreateworlds Alex's Video Game History Blog: http://videogamehistorian.wordpress.com Alex's book: http://bit.ly/TCWBOOK1 Intro Music: Josh Woodward - Airplane Mode - Music - "Airplane Mode" by Josh Woodward. Free download: http://joshwoodward.com/song/AirplaneMode Outro Music: RoleMusic - Bacterial Love: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Rolemusic/Pop_Singles_Compilation_2014/01_rolemusic_-_bacterial_love Copyright: Attribution: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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    1 ora e 28 min
  • Vectrex
    Jul 15 2026
    TCW Podcast Episode 262 - Vectrex The Vectrex came with its own screen, plastic color overlays, and roots in the aerospace industry. GCE brought Smith Engineering in to design and develop digital watch games, then calculator games, before the two companies set their sights on a full home console. That console had to include its own display because home televisions could not support vector graphics. The idea took shape when engineer John Ross came across a one-inch CRT designed for aircraft instruments, and that sparked the push toward a vector-based home console. GCE knew they were too small to compete in a saturated market on their own, so they sought out a larger company with the manufacturing and marketing muscle to give the Vectrex a real shot. Milton Bradley acquired GCE in September 1982. The Vectrex launched at $199 that holiday season, right into the Video Game Crash, and cost Milton Bradley $31.6 million before Hasbro bought what was left in 1984. TCW 199 - The History of Handheld Games Part 2: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/episodes/TCW199-the-history-of-handheld-games-part-2 Major Matt Mason: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sNoiDT0BMw Creepy Crawlers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJOd3pPUcEo TCW 025 - Matel Electronics?: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/episodes/TCW025-mattel-electronics TCW 177 - The Intellivision Part 1: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/episodes/TCW177-the-intellivision-part-1 TCW 178 - The Intellivision Part 2: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/episodes/TCW178-the-intellivision-part-2 GCE Game Time Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Bf1ShRP0sU GCE Arcade Time Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sgPMbbyfyw GCE Sports Time Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9K0Ty5MVr0 GCE Chase N Counter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeXaPOwrPq4 GCE Space N Counter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXaBH2hVnZ4 TCW 009 - The History of Mediagenic Part 1: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/episodes/TCW009-history-of-mediagenic-part-1 TCW 010 - The History of Mediagenic Part 2: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/episodes/TCW010-history-of-mediagenic-part-ii TCW 225 - Games By Apollo: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/episodes/TCW225-games-by-apollo Towering Inferno (Atari): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9E4xYtUmqE Entombed (Atari): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6D21cBQ8zPI TCW 080 - Vector Lights: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/episodes/TCW080-vector-lights TCW 133 - Rolling Dice With The Parker Brothers: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/episodes/TCW133-rolling-dice-with-the-parker-brothers Mine Storm: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jPFGKVyD6E Starhawk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjv6lnt98zY Solar Quest: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzPwfY82Aok Rip Off: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0d-fcGnMpI8 Space Wars: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTxl8WAr2WI Armor Attack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAShNvM8I9U Blitz: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qend3Al4Rw Star Trek: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gzrsb5c8dB4 Cosmic Chasm: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkaDXjOKMv0 Cosmic Chasm (Arcade): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-9ZRSs2ATU Berzerk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tarHYgKekeI Scramble: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tDBZwoiblQ Hyperchase: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvHKW7dnIUs Clean Sweep: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2jpYm6ZwIs Vectrek Accessories: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9LLEJ63_Rw Star Castle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29ZYcNK_Fe4 Spinball: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpT29NOsASw Fortress of Narzod: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYiWPBljWHk Spike: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNsyOWHQ71s Pole Position: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfxKt4iZgRc New episodes are on the 1st and 15th of every month! TCW Email: feedback@theycreateworlds.com BlueSky: @theycreateworlds.bsky.social Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theycreateworlds Alex's Video Game History Blog: http://videogamehistorian.wordpress.com Alex's book: http://bit.ly/TCWBOOK1 Intro Music: Josh Woodward - Airplane Mode - Music - "Airplane Mode" by Josh Woodward. Free download: http://joshwoodward.com/song/AirplaneMode Outro Music: RoleMusic - Bacterial Love: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Rolemusic/Pop_Singles_Compilation_2014/01_rolemusic_-_bacterial_love Copyright: Attribution: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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    1 ora e 33 min
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